Living in denial and suppressing rage while dealing with uneducated end-users. Join me as I rant and rave on all manner of topics and take heed of the wise words below.

"As sure as I know anything, I know this: I aim to misbehave." Mal Reynolds

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Afghan Women Embrace Opportunities Thanks To The United States

Day by day there are good things happening in Afghanistan and Iraq and yet our successes abroad go unreported by the MSM.Well when I ran across this story late last week I knew I had to post about it.

As most people know, one of the unintended effects of the United States liberating the Afghan people has been a backward slide to an enormous drug trade of heroin, opium, and hashish.As the coalition forces work with the Afghan people to fight the drug trade a group of women have stepped up and heeded the call of their nation.Malalai Badahari is one such women, she is one of a handful of women who are members of the National Interdiction Unit.During the day Malalai scans the streets for leads that might bring a big drug bust or lead to the arrest of one the new drug lords.Instead of the traditional burqa and veil, Badahari patrols the streets of Kabul in dark sunglasses, combat fatigues and carries an AK-47, all of which would have been unthinkable during the Taliban rule.At night she returns to her traditional dress and her family in her quiet neighborhood where her neighbors think she is a teacher.The 37 year old Malalai is unfazed by the dangers she faces for she is named for an Afghan heroine that fought against the British around the turn of the century.

“I like President Hamid Karzai because now I can carry a Kalashnikov. This is the new Afghanistan,” she says, cradling her machine-gun on her lap and pushing the shades back over the black cap she wears to cover her hair when she is at work.

In the short time that she has been on the force she has already recorded a bust of 7 kilos of opium and 70 kilos of hashish.When asked about the dangers of such a job, Malalai simply stated that she faced greater danger during the Taliban rule since she secretly tutored women on how to read and write.While the job ahead will be difficult and long, Malalai is hopeful that one day her efforts, as well as the other women that will join her on the force, will pay off in a safer Afghanistan for all.God Bless this women for her courage and strength.I wish I could say that I had read the original story on some American news site but since the MSM continues to disregard any good news coming out of Afghanistan or Iraq, I guess we will have to get the good news from overseas news sources.Have a great day everyone.